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It's understandable why subspecialists might default to using a hospital's picture archiving and communication system (PACS) rather than a system of their own.

There is a growing list of hospitals adopting online or remote second opinions (RSOs). Second opinions, in general, are becoming more accepted by both patients and physicians, and telemedicine or remote medical encounters are becoming increasingly popular. This has led patients who are diagnosed with critical medical issues to seek ways to avail themselves of specialty medical knowledge and experience from providers that are not necessarily local to them.

Many hospitals that are completing the early stages of adoption of remote second opinion (RSO) systems may now be thinking through the integration of this system with their downstream systems. Most of the work performed by RSOs is intentionally performed outside of the hospital's EHR, PACS, pathology, or other electronic clinical records storage systems. However, should a patient that receives a remote second opinion visit the hospital for a procedure or inpatient visit, these records will need to become part of the hospital's permanent patient file.

Innovative healthcare technology is changing how care is delivered for patients worldwide, particularly within specialty care. Expertise and other services can be exchanged far beyond the physical walls of the institution. Physicians with their own practices and rural hospitals that may not have certain specialists attending full time still need to be able to ensure that their patients can be seen, remotely or otherwise, by a specialist who can lend their expertise. Even in practices that may have a specialist in their particular diagnosis, patients are increasingly seeking out second opinions from physicians all over the world to confirm their diagnosis or get a new perspective. However, how can we ensure that the receiving physician has all of the information necessary to provide a thorough and accurate diagnosis regardless of whether they physically see the patient or not?

Are you thinking about starting a Remote Second Opinion (RSO) program but don’t know where to begin?

Well, you’re not alone.

A lot goes into the planning and launch of a successful RSO program beyond just having expert physicians ready to give their second opinions. While it might seem like a daunting task to launch a remote second opinion program, it doesn’t have to be.